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For many years now, I have been in the habit of holding some special object in my hands when I pray. The object is usually something simple and natural like an unusual stone. The object makes prayer “official”. When I am holding my prayer object, it is clear in my mind that I am communicating with God and that I should concentrate on that activity. This kind of device is common in many pursuits. Sometimes students wear a special hat when they are studying to make their study sessions official and remind them to concentrate.

For several years, my prayer object was a heart-shaped stone that I bought through eBay. About a year ago, when I was climbing into my bed, I found two small pebbles, a turquoise colored one and a cream colored one. They had apparently fallen out of my pocket when I went to take a nap. I could not remember when I acquired them or why, but I was fairly sure I had picked them up on our local beach. I recognized immediately that I was to use these when I prayed instead of the heart shaped stone. I never particularly cared for those two pebbles. However, since God had provided them for me, I felt that it was my duty to use them. I always held the turquoise one in my left hand and the cream colored one in my right hand.

About a month ago, when I was shopping at a local Dollar Tree, I came across a single smooth, flat, seaweed colored stone that had the word “Faith” engraved in it in gold. The stone was sitting there all alone on a shelf of other knickknacks that were for sale. There were no others like it in that section. As with the turquoise and cream colored stones, I recognized at once that God now wanted me to use this new object when I said my prayers. I eventually discovered that it was a regular item for sale at the Dollar Tree. Each one was slightly unique and some of them had other words engraved in them. However, I knew that this particular stone was the one God had set aside for me.

The stone was a gift from God. I had to pay a dollar to get it out of the store, but that was immaterial. I was not being charged a dollar by God. I was paying an insignificant fee to a business for delivering to me the gift that God had provided.

For the following month, I used the stone as my prayer object and held it whenever I said my prayers. Its smooth flat shape was ergonomic. It fit my hands perfectly. It seemed to be made for me and for that purpose. When I cupped it in my hands while I prayed, it seemed to become a part of me.

Just recently, I was experiencing some minor hardships. They were hardships grouped into a pattern that I had come to recognize was a signal from God that there was something about my behavior that needed to change. I was not sure what it was. However, five evenings ago, when I was looking at my prayer stone, I made the connection.

For quite some time, I had been contemplating finding some book that could be my book of truth. I had been looking for a book that would be my guide book for how God wanted me to live. I was seeking my “bible”. I had been contemplating buying a particular King James Bible with just the right “look” that I had found online.

I have read the Bible from cover to cover, but it never really spoke to me. Some Christians would say that this is because I do not believe, but I have reason to doubt their interpretation. I felt, for a variety of reasons, that the appearance of this particular Bible might signify the message God was willing to share with me. That notion would require some explaining that would take me too far afield. Besides, I realize now that it was incorrect.

I was also considering collecting together some writings of my own and binding them together to be my bible. I had tried this before, but it never worked very well.

Suddenly, I realized that this was all a mistake. There was no book of rules for me. My bible was a single word carved into stone: “Faith”.

This was an important realization. If a person contemplates the single word faith, everything else falls into place. God has no other words. Even “faith” is not God’s actual word. There is no human word that is equal to God’s meaning, but faith is the closest. If a person contemplates faith, that word will lead them to God. I assume there is some comparable word in other languages and traditions.

When a person contemplates faith, they do not need a rule book. They do not need guidance of any other sort. God tells a person who contemplates faith what faith means and he reminds them of that meaning whenever they lose track. God tells a person who contemplates faith what they should do and what they should believe. It is the moral code for distinguishing right from wrong. Faith instructs the follower on what God looks like and what he has prepared for them. It is the image of the future and what comes after the physical body ceases to function. Faith is the window into God’s wisdom. A person who knows faith knows God.

Faith means living without fear of losing faith. God gave me the new prayer stone to help me identify and remember his lesson. However, if I lose the physical stone, it will be because I am meant to lose it, not because I have gotten lost in my pursuit of God.

When I understood this, the problems I was having miraculously cleared up. They seemed to dematerialize retroactively. I knew this was God’s way of saying that I had learned the right lesson.

Of course, I will have other struggles in the future. Maybe they will be lessons or maybe they will just be struggles. I do not believe that God rewards “good works” or punishes “bad works” in this life. To believe such a thing would be to believe that every rich person deserves their wealth or that cancer sufferers, tortured prisoners and people burned alive in fires somehow deserve their misery. However, I am convinced that he uses our experiences to lead us to greater understanding. In any case, I am nearly certain that I have learned this one lesson.

190 Responses to “Faith”

The Bible is not a book of rules to bind us up in legalism. It’s a guideline to free us up from the world’s distorted view. Stay grounded in the Word and yes, have faith that God does work in all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

When we are truly saved, knowing it is by God’s beautiful grace alone and nothing we can earn, how freeing. Even when we fall, He’s there to pick us up, and guide us. We should walk in His steps or along side of Him. It’s when we run ahead, thinking we know the way, that we get messed up.
God’s timing is not our own. There’s where the frustration comes for those of us trapped in earthly bodies. So, we need to hide His word in our hearts- for what now? What does it do? Psalm 119: 105 “it’s a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path.” Little steps. Narrow pathway. And that’s a good thing. If I had known what I would have had to face in my late 40’s, well, I would have dug in my heels and told God to forget it! But hindsight is 20/20. And how God has seen me through the tough, tough years. I rejoice, now, on the other side of it all. Blessings great and small are abundant, we only gave to open our eyes to see. Is life easy? No, but it’s not meant to be.
To whomever may read this, I pray the Holy Spirit comforts you today.
Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen
Amanda

Thank you for this comment. The Bible is the written word of God. To understand it we need to connect to the author of the Bible, the one who inspired the people to write what they wrote. That is why it is called the Holy Bible. Reading it and doing what it says we should do will indeed set one free from this sin, self and satan.

Catholic tradition has a rich history of “contemplative prayer,” sometimes focusing on a single, simple word, which may be similar to your meditation upon the word “faith.”

Regarding your comment — “I was also considering collecting together some writings of my own and binding them together to be my bible. I had tried this before, but it never worked very well” — I hear an echo of Frederica Mathewes-Green’s realization described in her book “At the Corner of East and Now” that “my selections were inevitably conditioned by my own tastes, prejudices, and blind spots. I was patching together a Frankenstein God in my own image, and it would never be taller than five foot one. If I wanted to grow beyond my own meager wisdom, I would have to submit to a faith bigger than I was and accept its instruction.”

Been listening to some “aussie” Jesus as I call him. He claims to be reincarnated Jesus. As a Catholic, not sure what I think about that but his talks/teachings are fascinating. I find myself intrigued. Give it a listen. Let me know what you think. Good luck on your journey.

I think judgment separates us from one another. It puts us in a position of being right and obviously seeing someone else as wrong. I’ll try my best not to do that and let God sort it out in the end. When I have no judgment I see everyone with Kindness.

What you are saying is that like a court of Law. You elect not to plead guilty because you think you are not guilty yet someone told you were guilty of an offense. So you are stuck in the middle and pled no contest and leave the judgement up to the court. You are violating the Laws of Nature. Right and wrong, good and evil all have strict mathematical structures underlying them. What may seen random ,chaotic in the world you see around you. It is all controlled by mathematical structures that has some predictiability to outcomes. You lie to yourself if you say you do not judge others. We judge everyday by what we see and what we hear. I can be kind to someone and watch the measured outcome. Some will reciprocate back some will not that is the Laws of Nature that has been with you , me others since we opened our eyes to the world around us.
You every look at a snowflake, interesting objects. They fall from the sky each one is a perfectly symmetrical object yet each one is different then the next one each having a unique oneness. They have an underlying mathematical code that even scientist cannot duplicate in the laboratories.
The point being you have been taught a strange god that requires you to accept all as one instead of the uniqueness of your individuality. If you abdicate your uniqueness casting away mathematical structures, Laws of Nature then your world around you will descend into chaos and randomness choices that have no merit. You become weaker as the days go by. You lie to yourself and others if you believe you do not judge others. Your simply refusing your identity at the sake of mens altars who created their own gods for you to follow. Look at Gen 6 which refers to the ancient Sumerian religion that created a triune god and others gods. I do not kneel for chaos or randomness choices that man wants me to provide him with ablutions and sacrifices of self . I stood up one day in the Garden of Eden, Laws of Nature, and identified myself with the oneness of God. I can be kind to strangers but I do not let foreign gods into my house. Everything you do has a measured weight of judgement. Your imposing your own sentence of judgement by pleading no contest. Revising the mathematical structures that exist in Nature. God already imposed his judgement it is up to us to stand up in our unique identities and not listen to the random choices of man that create chaos around our world.
Snowflakes have an uniqueness and individuality not an equality.

God give us faith as a tool to transform the reality, it means that this process requiere mainly action for a specific situations. It’s good to see that you have faith first, He gave us a lot of “stones” through his word (Rhema), try.

1 Corinthians 12:7-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by [a]the same Spirit,

In Mecca in the middle of their Holy Temple they pray to a black meteorite that came from God. God can talk to you through rocks, trees I suppose. I rather just talk to him a rock does not find comfort in me.

Hi Ron, muslims dont pray to the stone, it sits in a corner of the kaaba (the first place of worship built by prophet Ibrahim) and is a indicator as to the point from which to begin tawaaf (we circle the kaaba 7 times) yes the stone is said to be celestial and has some special quality. But it is not prayed too… pilgrim touch it, kiss it as it was touched and kissed by such greatness… our messengers..

Your still kissing a rock to find some sort of spiritually that’s not there. Children like mythology common sense tells me that’s foo foo. More blood has been spilled between Christians and Muslims over foo foo gods and their toys.

Hi Ron, you cant define spirituality for all. The spirituality gained from searching for knowledge and applying is what I find raises the level of spirituality. We believe in Allah, though we can not see him, sign of him are everywhere beginning with my very existence.

I do not believe in any of mans religion’s, I do believe in one God, notwithstanding, historically around 600 A D ,the Jewish people helped build Medina an Mecca. Mohammed created a religion to unify the Bedouin Arabs for political reasons. To be fair Christianity did the same thing with the KJV. I have read the Koran, you are taught that the woman brought sin into the world same as Christianity. Can’t be because you have one seed, tree of life, man has two seeds good and evil. Your core doctrine Adam was brought into the world and the woman was guilty yet you birth creation. The only thing I agree with is Jesus was a man same belief as the Jewish people. Christianity made him a God. Spirituality resides in words not rocks. Faith is simply the rebirth of common sense. Christianity and Islam has shed more blood an enslaved more women and children on a lie. Budda, Hindus are all the same it was done for political reasons. The first organized religion goes back the Sumerians 3500 BC, they had over 3000 gods. I believe in one God but not the gods of man. I am 65 n have spent thousands of hours of searching for one God he exists in the Laws of Nature. Nations fall when religion’s lie and it is the women and children that suffer the most. Man was born dead, Woman was born alive and breathing the seed of one God.

Hi Ron, I dont think medina which was called Yathrib in Muhammad’s time was of much religious significance other than it welcomed Him and his followers after their persecution by the pagan arabs of mecca. The kaaba was previously a place or worship for Jews and Christians however as the arabs grew in their paganism ( they began to place idol inside and around the kaaba ) these pilgrims ceased to visit. Muhammad was given the message to reestablish the worship of God alone. This as always earned him many powerful enemies, he was illiterate and an orphan (may peace and blessings be upon him) whose only notable possession was his reputation of being Honest and Truthful, nothing else.

The pagans of his era would bury daughters alive, he forbade this. Man was made and woman was made from his rib, we are equally God’s creation and cable of good and evil. But no we are not the same. Adam and Eve were both cast down equally.

In the ancient semitic pictographs there was no word for bones. What that means is the woman has the strength of a man in the spiritual world again she is the seed of creation man has two seeds good and evil. Who does the killing in the world man. Who nutures the children the woman.

That’s a physical and biological difference, men are built stronger (generally) more aggressive and even logical in their outlook. Thus they are physical guardians of the family, maintaining provisions and such. And women are emotional, social and nurturing creatures that are mothers primarily and other things.. man, woman together compliment complete each other, beauty in balance.

You are the redemption for man, you were not made for man, he is to cleave to you. You are the nurturing quality of God. You said it yourself. You see things in the flesh not the spirit. Man taught you that, I didn’t.

Religion is the cause it is man made look around you. Here in America it is a fight over gods, men are like gods and so is their words. Mohammed himself borrowed his words from the Jewish people on creation itself. You say bury the children alive. The Bedouin tribes of Saudi Arabia that lived along the coast had breeder woman. They would take the children and sell them as slaves in the cities like Ur, Mara, an Babylon along the Euphrates river for thousands of years.

No I am not Jewish, Christian or Islam, Islam for reflections is older then Muslim, Mohammed came around 622 when he came with an army from Medina and took Mecca away from the Quarish Arabs. I think I spelt that right.

Before revelations came to Muhammad, those who worshipped God, were referred to as those who followed the religion of Ibrahim. They were uneasy with the powerful pagan policies. Muhammad was actually from mecca and withdrew to safety from persecution and went to medina. Returning when he was given divine instruction to return and re sanctify the original place of worship to God

When the Roman church rewrote the words of the Jewish words into Hellinized Greek, in the 3rd century, Mohammed rewrote it in the 6th century. Both religion’s venerate the virgin Mary as a goddess yet both beat them to hell. The woman is the only one that bleeds and so does her daughter’s. That is in both of mans religion’s.

Of what I believe or how I believe goes back to ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates river’s how they saw life. Which has images of Eastern cannons. The ancient semitic/Aramaic languages. Ie…your husband would be in the spirit the father of all nations, you and your 4 children. He protects his nation from strange gods. You nutures your children and give them life, first in the womb, nourished them from your heart. You sit on the right hand side of God, the man is the judgement side of God. Together the family serves one God. Not the gods of men and their are many.

Young lady it was and always been about the family your family not mine you live n another world but at our core spirit we all believe in one God. That is what I teach nothing more nothing less. I am very grounded by my wife of 50 yrs. I am teaching the words from the book of Ruth. Follow along if you wish, mychristinity2017.blog, I teach to to the Woman to help her learn who she is. I live n the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. I have n IQ of 165 and disciplined myself in multiple sciences and history. The thought of one God goes back as I have said the mountains of Turkey the first recorded slave revolt. Then the people migrated down into the floodplains , 10000 yrs ago.

Point of reference Jewish people came into name around 1200 BC , I go back further than that past recorded civilizations of the Sumerians to the mountains of Turkey past the Tigris river to where you were made not created . I was created from the dirt you wore not. I started to open my eyes around my 30,s and have journeyed east to where I came from. I write my own blog, I teach ancient semitic/Aramaic languages through thier eyes. In the spiritual realm men make women bleed. God has two functions one is Male one is Female.

Theres a wonderful book I feel you may appreciate, one full of history and spirituality by a great author. It’s my favourite book, and reading though it brought to life the vivid narrative of history regarding people of the scripture ( inc Muhammad ) it’s called Muhammad by Martin Lings.

Young lady I know you mean well but I gave up listening to men 14 yrs ago. The woman comes from the author of creation you have the authority a crown of angels from one God. You were sent from heaven to redeem man from destroying himself and your family. I know this I have been married 50yrs in and out of all kinds of religions. Mankind kills the womans children and others around him all for control and power. Your a young lady, your life experience would tell you, I am telling you the truth. I have a terminal illness there would be no reason or gain in it for me. I would tell you to get away from mans religion’s. They will kill your spirit, your the mother of the living one not the mother of the dead. Your choice not mine to make. That’s between you God not between you and man. The snake was placed between your seed and mans two seeds, one is good the other one is evil, the snake in the spiritual realm represents the evil of man. I don’t live in the flesh but in the spirit of men and women.

We are all on a journey back to him, ultimately. It’s ok to differ, it’s important to ponder over this life and not to blindly follow, and these days I see a scary following of shameless ness and unlawfullness. We need guidance from God and I believe following the teaching of the Quran, with Muhammad as my teacher will lead my to my Lord in the best manner of all

So Ron, I agree with your assessment that man made religions and in point of fact religion is about man’s quest to explain the rules and regs of how to live. When I speak to people it is about the relationship and not the religion. God never wanted us to have denominations which have often separated us rather than brought us together.
There is really only 1 book which is the bible and though I like the poetry and nuance of the KJV I like the Holman Christain Study Bible much better. As you appear to be well educated then you will know how close we are now to having a bible that is within just a few years from when Christ was crucified, died, buried and was resurrected! That will be amazing. We already understand that the Bible was written as a messianic text but though it was written by over 40 authors, they were all inspired by the Spirit of the Most High and only God. Christ only laid aside His divinity while on earth but He was still God incarnate. Man has always messed things up but that is only because of our fallen state so you are correct that many have died and man has done terrible things to our fellow man in the guise of “religion” which is why Our faith is not about “religion” it is about “relationship” with Christ. We as men and women do nothing to have eternal life as in other religions which are all about do, do, do whereas my faith is all about understanding that it is done!
That is one of the main reasons that more Muslims and Jews are coming to faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit is showing them that they can do absolutely nothing to recieve the free gift of Salvation. No pillars, no 462 rules including circumcision and for my Catholic friends no saints, no mediator between me and God. There is one more fact of deliniation between Islam, Buddism, and any other cult out there and that is NO BONES! The truth is all other religions that claim a founder have a founder that died and in my faith I know that He rose on that 3rd day and by the way appeared first to women at a time when women were considered chattel and then appeared to others, some 500 people.

Then you need to go back to the the idea of on God, no bones, ancient Mesopotamia they had no pictographs of bones no bones, the salvation of man was the woman. Institutional religions never existed in Genesis, christianity did that. No bones I follow no mans religion’s.

Christianity by own merits is a cult. I serve one God, not man , like all men you crucified ma ma boots by pulling your manhood telling me about a water down words, you don’t even know what your reading. Ma ma boots went to the Koran because of book learned people who think they know what they are talking about beat the woman that’s your deal not mine. I don’t require your blessings your god is a stranger to my house.

Hey Ron. I just wanted to point out that Muslims do not worship a rock. That rock is just to show if you turned a full turn aeiund the kaaba and that it is the first rock to be built (I think). The connection between a Muslim and God is not identified or connected or tethered by an object. Nor is spirituality found in one. The idea of Muslims praying to God and God only (I am not trying to offend anyone, I just wanted to clear up somethings) is to provide a sense of privacy. So no one knows your sins that regard disobeying God but Him. That is all. I respect every religion and its ways, but I just found that I had to clarify things.

Also, people will always fight on thoughts and beliefs. It does not represent the religion itself; it may have been presented incorrectly. Peace usually is the main purpose of a religion, but some do not reflect that purpose for one reason or another. Thank you 😊.

Wow. Profound. Faith , the very essence of our relationship with God. I truly also believe God uses our experiences to guide us on the right path. I know He loves us so much to intentionally do us harm.

Yes, it is possible for someone to believe and yet not get in depth understanding of the bible.
I try to rely in the Holy Spirit when i read so i don’t just skim through.

In all , we are still on a journey which is why I document mine on my blog till Christ comes.

Thank you.
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That is a clear show that you and God are a thing.From that I get to understand that God is always on our side..He uses our hardships,joy,hard work and even success to show us the right path but without clear and constant communication with him then all these signs fade away with time.Thanks,this is an inspiration to me.

I like your “prayer object” concept. Last week on a trip to Florida, I picked up a tiny seashell that had been so battered by the ocean that it didn’t even have any ridges left on it, and for that reason it stood out to me. I’m not a seashell enthusiast or a collector of any sort, but this particular shell begged me to keep it. I didn’t know why until now.
The Florida trip was actually the first of many business trips for a new job I’ve accepted which I can only describe as a gift from God. And I see the shell as symbolic of promises kept, both past and future. Maybe I picked it up because I needed a prayer object too.

I appreciate reading your words. You sound like you have a very beautiful spirit. I know you are a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father and you are right, faith is so important in our quest to be like Him. I suggest that you read The Book of Mormon. You will fall in love with it and it’s teachings. They are pure and undefiled by the world. You will feel God’s love and that He is truly speaking to you. Keep up your pursuit of pure faith!

Accurate God Bless you, Having faith defines God as a whole and christianity,you can know the bible from genesis to revalation but without faith its “useless”.
God Bless you, I hope wherever you are people notice and listen to your wisdom so that they can walk on the right path

Thank you for sharing your intimate thoughts of prayer and connecting with God. May you be overwhelmed by His wonderful love! He is pleased with you and your honesty. Be blessed!
Ronhttp://www.theburningheart.com

I find my comfort in holding the wheel of my 68 Corvette Stingray blasting down the Highway feeling the wind in my face like the Holy Spirit Gods breathe. It’s all about where you find your comfort. At the end of the day I find no comfort in that.

I like the idea of the stone as a reminder to be attentive while praying. I have a small piece of olive wood in the shape of a heart that fits in my hand. I used it this morning when I was praying as a reminder to keep my mind focused on God. I get so distracted! I do hope you give the Bible another try. I know it can be confusing but it can also be a blessing. Maybe try the the book of Mark. ❤

Faith & Devotion are two most important things for ultimate spiritual progress(sp). As you have stone, some people of different faith use rosary. Time to time try to repeat God’s name when the stone is not in your hand, please don’t worry about the place where you are. godblessallnet.wordpress.com

Great faith. Remember that in your reading of the Bible, you have been exposed to the things of God, especially in the Gospels. God is Love, but He responds to your faith, that is, your spiritual receptiveness to His love.

I rrad your full post on the word “faith.” I am a leader in one small church up here in New Hampshire, USA. I would like to communicate with you over the word “faith.” Please accept my invitation? We can “talk” in a variety of ways, through typing (which I prefer) or talking. I am under Darren Leite Beattie on Facebook Messenger. I also have WordPress; my blogsite is http://www.TrueLifeChristianity.com

When I first started to read the Bible free from the Lectionary, and having heard of fabled “WISDOM of SOLOMON”, I turned to the middle of the Book and found PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES.

Through this process, I discovered that even Solomon (the wisest King there ever was or could be) reflected upon his many mistakes, and all the troubles 700 jealous wives and 300 concubines had brought him, to conclude that “life was all useless”.

Solomon’s book of latter-life conclusions “ECCLESIASTES” is a great place for anyone to start. I trust that readers here will enjoy my summary of it as “ECCLESIASTES ENCAPSULATED” at http://www.wound-wisdom.tk .

Life is what we ourselves make of it. It is filled with promise, and is not at all “useless”.

King Solomon and his hundreds of wives and concubines (young ladies) has a deep image of the Salvation of man. I am nether Jewish not a Christian nor Islam or any other institutionalized religion. The older women teach the younger women to judge their families, ie…Deborah was a judge for forty years in Israel around 1107 BC and the family had peace and prosperity. The men carry out the heavy lifting as you see with mistakes cause we do not always listen to what comes to our ears.

Finding our spiritual roots as we journey with God has little to do with a book, a religion, a doctrine – the journey is our own, unique to each of us. Many of us start with religion and the Bible, but there is so much more as we learn and grow with God. I loved your blog!! Thank you – and I love the idea of a prayer object!

Faith is a gift of God. Is planted not by a religion, but by hearing from the mouth of God Himself. Through the pages of the Bible, Hebrew, John, the gospels.
I heard once about God through a religion but far knowing about God and what relationship is there between us. Didn’t know to love and the power forgiving. Faith is believing in the unseen, but tangible as you face people, culture and hardships and good times.

I enjoyed reading your post.
Faith in the Hebrew simply means “Trust”
Trust or Faith is the most important thing one needs to trust on YEHOVAH GOD.
Faith or Trust is that YEHOVAH GOD will do what HE promised us in the Bible as HE trusts us to use what he gave us wisely.

God relates to each person in the language we understand and if we all take the time to analyze and write about our unique sum of experiences and lessons in Faith, it would provide endless hours of reading and learning from each other

The Bible IS the Word of God and I know that as you genuinely seek to know who God is through your prayer times, holding your faith stone, God will reveal Himself to you and explain His Word in your own unique language.

It is nice to throughout scriptures but you do not explain what that means. The context of the English King James Bible comes from Greek Mythology the institutionalized philosophies of the ancient Sumerian religions 3500 BC. If you look at the salvation of the afterlife you will find out that Muslim and Christianity are the same, you have angels and books and other things. The object of your worship is the building and not in the oneness of man , the oneness of woman and the oneness of God. You like Christianity and Islam both blame the woman for sin coming into the world. Both religions say that God came from heaven and created male and female then took off. Except Christianity states that God reinvented himself showed up a man then left as a god. I believe in the oneness of God and that salvation for the man is through the woman the redemption comes when you think about your position and realize the lie you have been taught. I could ask you what a cherubim is referring to and you could not answer me correctly. It is a male dominated religion that takes away the responsibility of the man for his family. Serve the temples of man. I left 14 yrs ago and never looked back. I believe simply the ancient Semitic/Aramaic philosophy of God, oneness of man, oneness of woman and a oneness of God that resides in the Laws of Nature. Both cannons , Christianity and Muslim both follow the same tenets how come they never teach about Deborah one of 12 Judges of Israel, you never hear about her. I am not Jewish just self educated in common sense. For sake of argument Islam is older then Muslim religion. No, I am not Islam I have no ethnic religious affiliations nor am I Buddha or Hindu. Who is the way and the truth? You did not extrapolate your position just bored people folks who have heard that line before. You have to understand philosophy with ancient Semitic/Aramaic writings and language to understand what that statement is talking about and it is talking about a model of life for one man one woman and the family unit and their inheritance of life to their children and it sure as hell does not come from a temple of man that has you institutionalized. Sometimes it pays to listen to elders and not the commentaries of other men or their altars.

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish [for with judgment comes the promise of salvation]. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make them honored [by the presence of the Messiah], by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness Will see a great Light; Those who live in the dark land, The Light will shine on them. You [O God] will increase the nation, You will multiply their joy; They will rejoice before You Like the joy and jubilation of the harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of victory]. For You will break the yoke of Israel’s burden and the staff (goad) on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the marching warrior in the battle tumult, And [every soldier’s] garment rolled in blood, will be used for burning, fuel for the fire. For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace, [He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From that time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
ISAIAH 9:1‭-‬7 AMPhttps://bible.com/bible/1588/isa.9.1-7.AMP

Read the Old Testament Codex Aramaic it’s not amplified its original language not early Greek church translations. Hierarchy of angels was created by the early Christians. What’s funny the criteria for salvation and Angel’s and books are the same in Islam and Christianity. I serve no ethnic religious beliefs only one God n Genesis. I serve him he already gave me words. You gods seem to want to kill each other. I don’t know who you serve. We are all sons of one God. Plus you never teach about the Woman except she is guilty of bringing sin into the world. You like to throw out scriptures look at Deborah in Judges, she was one of 12 Judges. I teach worldwide young man you might ought to spend time in the Old Testament and de amp yourself. God never created a church building in Genesis only a family. Men created a market to sell goods.

If you had [really] known Me, you would also have known My Father. From now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father and then we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power]. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe [Me] because of the [very] works themselves [which you have witnessed]. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name [ as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.
JOHN 14:7‭-‬13 AMPhttps://bible.com/bible/1588/jhn.14.7-13.AMP

But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name–[Isa. 56:5.] Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
John 1:12‭-‬13 AMPChttps://bible.com/bible/8/jhn.1.12-13.AMPC

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.]
Genesis 1:27 AMPChttps://bible.com/bible/8/gen.1.27.AMPC

Interesting read. I love the idea of the object. I am a buddhist so god doesn’t come into it for me but faith does. When I hold my beads and chant and focus on the gohonzon (a mandala that acts like a mirror and helps draw forth innate wisdom courage and compassion) the objects really help. Even though of course they are just agents – the real changes are within. Anyway I enjoyed the way you express your feelings around this.

Founding every rope possible to succeed and carry out the faith order is a perfect score to start with a rock to shallow out the negative impulse energy that will fully filled the clean mindful act of faith at ti’s best works.

Thank for your post… something to contemplate. Each had a focus when communicating with the Almighty. Apparently…yours is an object of sorts…mine is just knowing that He is present 24/7.
As to faith as I understand the word, the meaning, the definition…to me it’s trust on any given subject, episode, or event that I face.

Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrew 1:11). Thanks for this post. I think faith of often lacking. And with it, hope. Those two go hand in hand (for me, anyway).
I love the idea of a special rock to hold – something tangible. I have a baptism rock, but I never hold it. I think I’ll start doing that.

Disappointing to realise that some people still believe in God. To do so it is necessary to believe in the fantasy of Adam and Eve as God’s creation in the Garden of Eden somewhere in Utah or anywhere. Who cares?
Such an absurd belief requires denial that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is wrong which must also mean that carbon dating and palaeontological evidence is also wrong – in fact that the scientific evidence is a fallacy – which of course can’t be done by sane people.
Therefore, since the world was created millions of years ago in what is known as ‘the big bang’ when life began as green algae on ponds and began to evolve through stages until humans eventually evolved from apes through the stone age, iron age and so forth.
So where does God fit in? He doesn’t. Humans were not created by God but evolved like all like forms forms through stages of development. Humans are not divine and do not possess spirits or souls.
Also, according to biblical scholars – there is no evidence Jesus ever existed. The gospels are fiction. The Romans invented Christianity which like all religions is based on myths.

The Holy Spirit always confirms God’s Word by convincing us of its truth… but He will not do it persistently…in other words: if you read the Bible…and you sense its Truth but then you refuse to immediately accept it and instead seek more proof…the Holy Spirit leaves you alone…and the book becomes to you nothing more than ink and paper!
So I suggest you speak to it this time…

I have a very close relationship with God. I do not attend Church nor do I read the Bible but I put my trust and Faith in his hands each and every day. I am a recovering addict and my story is full of trial and tribulations. The one who brought me out of it was The Big man himself. I thank him every day for the life I was given back by his Grace.

Great post! Thank you for sharing! Please come check out some of enlightening material at th3platform.com. Have a wonderful day and feel free to repost anything you like! I have a small following right now haha

What a testimony of your spiritual experience. For you to understand the Bible, you need a teacher. So many accounts of the spostles that show thay preached and teached God’s Kingdom (The Lord’s Prayer). However, I disagree with your comment: “Even “faith” is not God’s actual word …” Faith is mentioned so many times in the Bible.)
In fact, in James 2:17 it says: Faith without works is dead.

Like I had mentioned earlier, faith is mentioned in the Bible. But as ab example – the term rapture is not in the Bible. Most Christian faiths added this term to their teachings, I know, my brother-in-law is a Born Again and uses this word extensively. TheScriptures says at Rev22:18,19 “ … If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; 19 and if anyone takes anything away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take his portion away …” I will never add or take away from a divine book whose author is God. He owns it why should I mess with it. Oh, yes, I too have read the Bible in the New World Translation. You would benefit from this transation. The King James is a great book but it was written in old english, during his reign.

True. There’s actually no hope without Faith. I think hope without Faith is total nothingness. It is almost as void as the depths of space. The greatest thing that ever happened was the covenant where Law was to be written in our hearts, so that we could all judge ourselves and through this we are able to distinguish between good and bad/evil or right and wrong, with the help of the spirit.

We go through so much in life, that our pursuing God get lost in the crowd. I actually have a devotional called, “Walking in Faith” a faith walk through different circumstances in life, challenging life itself was my battles.
Love your insight regarding faith and is interesting your understanding of faith. The lesson from the Bible in Hebrew on faith. I struggle too to understand the existence of life if you don’t see a purpose to live for. Faith is a gift from God to hope for the unseen. But actually the unseen is revealed through the lives of many going through despair, lost and uncertainty of tomorrow, but feel the only way to overcome the discouraging moments is living out the peace of God, taking in faith and trusting God that we are His main concern. We mature in understanding the hearts of those around us.

The whole thrust of the Bible is the revelation of who God is and the grace and forgiveness we can experience when we see God at work in our lives. The Bible itself is just words, but the message of the gospel is relationship with God and with our “Neighbors”. Faith is what develops out of that relationship.

This is so beautiful and resonated so strongly with my soul. We’re all just searching for the thing that binds us closer to God or the Universe—or whatever you call the higher power. I’m so happy that you found yours and that you share that story with others who may be seeking. Much love and light.